1. Caring for the Seriously Ill and Dying
Russ Rentler, MD, CMD
Internal Medicine and Geriatrics

2. Introduction
My story of how Catholic medical ethics impacted my practice of medicine with patients at the end of life.

3. Rationale for teaching and promoting the Catholic understanding of caring for the seriously ill and dying-
Lack of Catechesis among the laity
Healthcare System Not Aligned with Catholic Medical Ethics
“Quality of Life” is Inappropriate Paradigm to Guide Care
Pervasive Culture of Death
Financial Crisis in Healthcare Affects Delivery of End of Life Care. (Netherlands-euthanasia, England- Liverpool Pathway

4. Societal View of End of Life

5. Catholic View of End of Life

7. Russell J Rentler, MD
4/11/13

8. Redemptive Suffering
Definition
Useful Prayers: The Morning Offering

9. Prayer of Surrender

10. Misconceptions in Catholic End of Life Discussions
All treatment “all the time”
Suffering is necessary
Church Is against Advanced Directives
Everyone dies with a Feeding Tube on a ventilator
Others?

11. Palliative Care Definition Hospice vs Palliative Care
Church Encourages Palliative and Hospice care
Pope Pius 12th and Blessed Pope John Paul 2

12. Principle of Double Effect
The action intended is morally good or neutral
The good effect must not come about as a result of the evil effect
The good must be willed and the evil merely tolerated for allowed
The good effect must be at least equivalent in importance to the evil effect, ie, there must be sufficient reason for permitting the evil effect to occur